Have you looked at your own Brand lately? Really stopped and looked at it closely, to see whether it's still working for your business and making you look great?
Here are 5 triggers that mean it’s definitely time to re-examine your Brand:
- Your business has gone through fundamental changes. Your current Brand should be able to integrate small changes like adding a new service that’s similar to your existing offerings. But if you’ve made major changes - like discovering a new, major differentiator for your brand or deciding to work with a different type of ideal client - then your brand should be re-evaluated to take those changes into account.
- The outside world has changed. With the regulations and economy changing, technology advancements and all sorts of current affairs, many small businesses have found that their worlds have changed - change in industry expectations, customer behavior changes, competitor offerings. Instead of fighting against the change and looking at it as an obstacle to your success, look at how you can change your business and your Brand to fit the new world - and come out on top
- Your Brand doesn't "speak" to your ideal clients. Perhaps your idea of your ideal client has changed. Or, maybe your Brand was designed incorrectly from the start, and never really worked for your ideal clients. Are your products and services suited for an alternate audience than the one you seem to be reaching? Go back to your brand and really look at it through your ideal clients' eyes. If you can't do this yourself, then go find a few of your ideal clients and ask them directly about your brand - and what is and isn't appealing to them.
- Your Brand just needs to "grow up". Small businesses often go through "business adolescence" - a period of teenage growth and self-discovery, a few years into the business. Just like being a teenager, your business may get more difficult, suddenly start consuming more resources or can start having challenges with clients. Often, companies will come out of this adolescent period with a new direction, personality, business structure, or even a new company mission and vision. If you feel like your company has been going through these growing pains, then you should probably examine your business and your brand.
- You were never that comfortable with your Brand to begin with. Your Brand should be designed to speak to your ideal clients, not to visually appeal to you personally. That said, you should certainly like your Brand enough to not be embarrassed that it represents your business. Also, if you’ve been playing with different colour schemes and logos for a while now, the chances are you’re confusing your audience. If you feel that your Brand is inconsistent and does not represent your business correctly, it's time to re-evaluate.
Brands that remain static are at a risk of becoming irrelevant or stagnated. It takes commitment to make sure the company’s brand is on the right track - take time to assess strengths and weaknesses, understand the brand’s value to customers and communicate that story consistently.
If you've experienced any of these triggers, then it's time to go through your Brand and re-evaluate whether it fits your business as well as it should. Need help? Reach out to us.
